Does work happiness really matter?

In a word, yes! It matters more than you think. So many of us go through life literally going through the motions and not consciously thinking about our actions and how they make us feel. We are all so “busy” doing stuff that not many of us take a moment to pause and think about the consequences of our actions on our own feelings and our overall well-being. The impact of the #coronavirus certainly isn’t something that anyone could have predicted but on the up side, we are all less busy and it has given us an opportunity to decide which parts of “normal” we want to return to when this rubbish is over.

The old days are gone, where we were grateful to have a job that simply offers a regular salary and stability. Going to work to go through the motions and working to live is no longer relevant today. People have more choice than they have ever had! The shock of the pandemic has made many of us question what the heck we are doing. If globally two thirds of us were disengaged before at work, I bet that figure is a lot higher now! This is the perfect time to reassess what actually matters to you. You spend on average eight hours a day at work, life is too short to be miserable and do an unfulfilling job.

If you are thinking that you are just grateful to have an income, I hear you! Paying the bills, taking care of all the responsibilities that you have and doing the things that you enjoy are all really important. I am not here to tell you to quit your job in an instant and “find your calling” – I just want to highlight some of the reasons why staying in a job or with a company that you really don’t like, can affect you and the people that matter to you.

1) Less stress! Without you even realising, when we are in an environment where we aren’t truly happy, you are more stressed. This stress can come out in a number of ways but if you have lived like that for a really long time, then this becomes your normal state and you don’t even realise you’re stressed. This can even apply if you’re doing well at something, as success doesn’t always mean you are happy. The effect that stress has on your health is huge – I might be stating the obvious but we all just seem to keep doing this to our minds and bodies on repeat. As we all know, now more than ever, your health is priceless.

2) Loved ones – I am sure like everybody, I am making a huge effort with people that really matter to me and this whole pandemic is making me feel incredibly #grateful for all the lovely people in my life. It’s a zoom or whatsapp video call a night but something that I wouldn’t normally do but has been a huge positive over the last few weeks. We are all putting quality time in with our loved ones, I know it has its challenges, but why when things return to “normal”, would you want to bring avoidable work stress into your home and potentially put your precious relationships under strain?

3) General motivation levels – the more you enjoy your job, the more motivated you are – FACT! There are so many benefits to increased levels of motivation which ripple through into your everyday life e.g. more likely to exercise, better quality family time, etc. Also you are more likely to do better at something you enjoy. I don’t know about you but home schooling has really reminded me of this – my children are so excited about PE, whether it’s exercise with #pewithjoewicks or #otimabuse, or english or history, as these are the areas that they truly love. Anything else is a real battle and they take twice as long to do it but more importantly, their mindset towards it is totally different. This is exactly what happens when we are at work. Don’t get me wrong, we all have tasks that we avoid doing but when the bulk of your job is like this, it affects you from the moment your alarm goes off. Really, life is too short!

4) The pressure to find your “calling” – this is a real obstacle for a lot of people that we speak to as so many think that they have to find this one perfect job / career. In reality, lots of us have more than one calling and this isn’t a bad thing. We all evolve, as do our interests and passions and this is OK. This brilliant TED talk by Emilie Wapnick – https://ed.ted.com/on/cXwd0sDU – Why some of us don’t have one calling? will resonate with many of you I’m sure. In a nutshell, it’s OK to be interested in lots of different things and combine experiences.

5) Don’t compare! Comparison literally achieves nothing and is one of the biggest reasons people stay stuck! We have so many people who think that they should be at a certain point in their careers because they are 40+ because they are comparing themselves to their next door neighbours. Or that they can’t possibly have a career change at 50? The list goes on. The journey is yours – Own it and make choices for you. It really is irrelevant what anyone else is doing.

6) Fear – the dreaded fear of failure, change and what others think are huge factors in why people stay in jobs they hate. It still shocks me with all the choice that we have these days as to why people stay. The worst thing that can happen, is that you find another job if this next move doesn’t work out. However with some graft and thought, there is a good chance that you’re making a considered choice and you’ll never regret trying.

If you’ve read this far, then I hope you stick with us over the next few days to listen to some of our top tips and insights so we can help you start your journey in finding something that matters to you.

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Remember, you’re not a tree! Nothing is permanent and you can move whenever you want.